Enjoyable and uncomplicated spirits
We just want our spirits to be enjoyable and uncomplicated. It’s as simple as that!
No 39 different botanicals… no aging in obscure casks… no other quirky practices just for marketing purposes. No reinventing the wheel: just straightforward sourcing from people who share our values and have been doing it longer and can do it better than us. Solely careful, slow distilling with the best ingredients sourced from friendly farmers and fellow local distillers.
Our master distiller specially selected our agricultural rums from local distillers. Special releases are slowly redistilled and aged in new Iberian oak casks or old Madeira wine casks lent by our friends at H. M. Borges. We finish our spirits only in, long seasoned, Madeira wine varietal casks. From time to time we release unique batches of exclusive Madeira wine from the casks we emptied to fill with our spirits.
VA Spirits traditional rum, made in very small batches of 150 litres each, uses “mel de cana” – full juice molasses – 100% produced in Madeira Island. Not black strap molasses, a sub product of sugar refining, only fresh “mel de cana”. It is made once a year, just after harvest, while all fresh flavours are still there.
For the botanical spirits, we use a unique grain spirit sourced from a friend specialist. We then combined the key botanicals – Juniper for Gin, Caraway for Aquavit or Wormwood for Absinthe – with a very limited number of botanicals and fruits sourced fresh from fellow farmers on the Island. We want our products to reflect the key base ingredients of each spirit complemented by a few distinctive local flavours. Less is more! [less but better]
Our eau-de-vie is produced, exclusively, by distilling the fermented juice of freshly squeezed local fruit sourced from nearby growers. Some fruit may not be appealing to the eye, however can be absolutely delicious. Truthfully, this small, sometimes ugly fruit results in remarkable spirits.
The spirits are crafted in the hills of Canhas one of the main sugarcane producing villages of Madeira. We ferment in small individual batches. The “wines” are distilled in a pot still made, specifically for us, by Christopher and Alexandre Plank and their team of expert still smiths at CARL Distiletechnick in Stuttgart.
Come visit us and see, first hand, how we produce our spirits. We welcome you anytime to show you how we do things. We do warn you however that we do things slowly so it may take up some of your time. You can always enjoy a cocktail while things happen!
We look forward to your visit!
